Pānui

He Aituā – Erima Henare

Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā

Ka rere tēnei ki te motu

Kua hinga tētahi taonga nō te wao nui a Tāne

ko Erima Henare

Tēnā koutou katoa

It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Erima Henare. He uri nō Ngāti Hine.

Erima, son of Lady Rose Henare and Sir James Henare, was a revered Ngāti Hine leader and te reo Māori advocate who worked tirelessly in the many roles he held throughout his lifetime – he was the head of the Māori Language Commission, a respected authority on the ancient and modern history, reo and tikanga of Te Tai Tokerau, a Māori cultural advisor to Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, Chairman of the Māori Language Commission, Executive Director of Māori at Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, a member of the Waitangi National Trust Board, and an advisor to Kīngi Tuheitia Paki.

Erima was also a beloved father and grandfather, one of his sons, Peeni is currently the serving Labour Tāmaki Makaurau MP in Parliament.

Erima’s wealth of knowledge and sense of humour will be deeply missed by iwi across Aotearoa. Te Hunga Roia Māori o Aotearoa send our deepest condolences to the Henare whānau at this time.

E te rangatira, hoki atu ki tō ukaipo, okioki ai.

DETAILS

At this point, Erima is with his whānau and friends in Pōneke. He will be brought back to Otiria Marae later today where he will lie in state. There, the oratory will begin and the arrangements for his final journey will be decided. Further details will be posted on our Facebook page as they come to hand.